Rurouni Soujirou
by digigirl132
Summary: Everyone has their own version of what happened to Soujirou after the Kyoto arc. Well, here is my version. Soujirou, Yuki and Miyako have to do laundry. Not much action, but a lot of character building. chapter 3 up. r+r please
1. chapter 1: Soujirou and the begining of ...

Chapter 1

There were two men--they walked the same road, but after ten years they discovered completely opposite truths. So I think if I wander for ten years, I'll be able to find my own truth.

- Soujirou, volume 17, act 148

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Early December, 1878

The wind blew lightly through the woods, causing the leaves on the ground to scatter in an array of reds, yellows, and oranges. All the leaves had fallen off the trees already. There was a slight chill to the air; cold enough for a person to notice, but not so cold that he couldn't bear it. Winter was sure to come soon. A bit early this year, in fact. Soon, the ground would be covered in a light coating of fresh snow.

As the wind blew, it blew leaves onto a path that went through the woods. Though this path was usually well-used, today it only held one young man. This young man wore blue pants and a blue shirt a few shades lighter. These clothes were well worn, suggesting that it had been a while since he had considered getting some new clothes. His sandals looked worn as well. The wind caused him to shiver. He stopped and looked up at the gray sky. _Looks like winter will be coming early this year, _he thought, _Really soon, in fact. Those dark clouds suggest a snowstorm. I think I'll stay at the next village for a few days, until the oncoming storm passes by._

The young man started walking again, this time quicker than before. _It would do me no good to get caught outside in the oncoming storm. I better hurry if I want to make it to a village before the snow comes._

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Luck was with the young man, and he managed to reach a village before the snow started. It was a small village, no more than a hundred or so inhabitants, but it was very lively. Small children played in the streets, their mothers not far away watching the childish antics. Some were buying food from a small bazaar. Throughout all of the activity, nobody seemed to notice the young man. _That's probably a good thing, _he thought, _I'd like to not converse with people. _

Suddenly, someone bumped into the young man from behind. He turned around, and saw that it was a young girl of about six or seven. Her black hair was somewhat messy, and her eyes were filled with fear. The young man said, "What's wrong?"

Thegirl answered, "the mean boys are chasing me!"

This was confirmed by the shouts of four young boys. When they reached the young man and the girl, one of them said, "there you are! We were looking for you!"

"leave me alone," the girl cried as she hid behind the young man. The young man said, "What is the problem?"

A second boy from the group said, "That girl standing behind you is being a scardy-cat and won't play with us!"

"that's because you always throw rocks at me or something when you play," the girl retorted. A third boy said, "Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Alright," the young man said, "Calm down. I am sure you can come to a reasonable agreement. You boys shouldn't be picking on a girl, anyways. If she doesn't want to play, she doesn't have to."

The first boy seemed to be angry about the fact that someone told him not to do something. So, in retaliation, he bit the young man's left hand. The young man cried out in pain and shook his hand violently in an attempt to get the boy to let go. But the boy seemed to be holding on tightly. Then, the girl punched the boy in the shoulder. The boy let go of the young man's hand. The young girl said, "Don't be mean to the nice man!"

The boy yelled, "you'll pay for that!" and stalked away, his three friends following closely. The girl said, "thank you for protecting me."

The young man smiled. He said, "It's no problem."

Then the girl looked at the young man's hand. It had a bright red mark where the boy had bitten, and it was bleeding a little. The girl grabbed the young man's right hand and began to walk down the street. She said, "Come on. grandpa knows a lot about medicine, and he can fix up your hand like new!"

"Oh no," the young man said, "It's alright. I will be fine."

"then at least come and stay for a few days. That way you don't get caught outside in the storm that's coming. It would be bad to get caught out in the storm."

The young man sighed. He knew that she was right. Getting caught in the storm would be a bad thing. So, he said, "Alright, you win. I'll go with you."

The girl smiled. She said, "My name is Makatari Yuki. What is yours?"

The young man answered, "Seta Soujirou."

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The house that Yuki lived in was a somewhat small one. It had a kitchen, a room for sitting, eating, and all the other things you would do in a day, and two bedrooms. It also had a bathhouse out back. It looked a little run-down on the outside, but on the inside, it looked quite nice.

Yuki's Grandfather was a nice fellow also. He looked quite old and worn-down, but he had an energetic spirit. He was good at medicine, like Yuki had said, and he patched up Soujirou's hand in no time. He also agreed to let Soujirou stay until after the storm had passed. 

While the Grandfather was making dinner, Yuki and Soujirou were sitting in the main room. Yuki was playing with her doll, and Soujirou was watching. He finally said, "Makatari…"

"Call me Yuki-chan," the said one interjected. Soujirou started again, "Yuki-chan, why were you running from those boys?"

"because they are mean," Yuki answered, "they always pick on me. They pull my hair and throw rocks at me. I dunno why, though. I used to think that they just liked being mean to girls. But I am the only girl they are mean to. I wish I knew why they didn't like me…."

Right then, the Grandfather brought in dinner. They all sat at the table and ate. Yuki and her Grandfather chatted about how their day had been. But Yuki didn't mention anything about the boys being mean to her, and Yuki's Grandfather didn't ask how she had come across Soujirou. This made Soujirou curious about the incident. Surely any other young girl would tell her Grandfather about how some boys tried to beat her up. This he had seen happen many times during his wandering. But yet Yuki didn't say a word about it, and it puzzled Soujirou greatly.

After dinner, Yuki started playing with her dolls again, and her Grandfather went out into the kitchen. Normally, Soujirou would have just sat quietly until bedtime, but the days events were causing Soujirou's curiosity to act up. He walked into the kitchen to have a chat with Yuki's grandfather.

Yuki's Grandfather was cleaning up the dishes from dinner. "Makatari-san," Soujirou said, "Aren't you curious as to why your granddaughter was sharing the company of a rurouni?"

"Not really," the Grandfather said, "Yuki brings home strange people all the time."

Soujirou sweat dropped. The Grandfather continued, "I don't mind sharing my house for a few days. And no rurouni has ever hurt my Granddaughter, so I don't worry about it too much."

"But aren't you curious as to the events that caused us to become acquainted," Soujirou asked, hoping that this question got the desired answer. The Grandfather shrugged and said, "not really. The first thing you forget about someone is how you met them."

Soujirou sweat dropped again. He then said, "Yuki-chan was being bullied by some boys."

The Grandfather sighed and said, "I know. They always do."

Soujirou could feel a hint of tiredness in the man's voice now. This puzzled Soujirou even more. If he knew, then why didn't he do something to stop these acts? Soujirou asked the Grandfather this question, and the Grandfather said, "The town has a great dislike for my family."

"Why," Soujirou asked. The Grandfather said, "Because of my son's decisions. Yuki's mother died when Yuki was born. This broke my son's heart, so he went on a journey to 'find himself.' I stayed behind and took care of little Yuki. About four months after my son left, he returned, and he had a new wife in tow. Yuki liked her, and I had no quarrels with her. But, she was American, and the village does not take kindly to foreigners. They harassed my son and his family, and made life very hard for them. Then, a group of the men got drunk one night, and they killed my son and his new wife."

Soujirou said a silent prayer for Yuki's parents, and Yuki's Grandfather continued, "I managed to get Yuki to safety before she was killed, and I took up the job of raising her. But, the village didn't forget my son and his American wife, and they continue to harass us. And since it was such a short time between Yuki's birth and Her Father's remarriage, the village thinks that Yuki is half American. And So, it is not uncommon for Yuki to be bullied by the local boys. I told her to just ignore it, and they would eventually give up."

Soujirou shook his head. He thought to himself, _I don't see how someone could hate another person for something stupid like that. Then again, I have done things similar to that in the past too, so I guess I am not in a position to criticize the people of this village. But it still saddens me that a young girl must suffer for such a pointless reason._

Nothing more was said. Both men understood that the discussion was over, so Yuki's Grandfather, who had finished cleaning up the dishes, went to go make a bed for Soujirou. Soujirou went to the front porch. It had just begun to snow, and Yuki was running around laughing in the light snowfall. She was trying to catch a snowflake on her tongue, but was having a little difficulty. Mainly because it was hard to catch a snowflake on her tongue and laugh at the same time. Soujirou smiled and thought, _well, at least she looks happy._

--------------------------------------------

For the next two days, the snow kept everyone inside. It was slightly boring, but Soujirou didn't mind being inside. It was warm inside, and Soujirou would rather be warm and bored than cold and not bored. Yuki, on the other hand, was getting antsy. She really wanted to go outside and play in the snow. Luckily, on the third day, the snow stopped falling, and the skies cleared up. When Soujirou awoke, he walked out onto the front porch to see how much snow had fallen. There was a good foot and a half of snow in some places, but the wind had blown it around and made it shallower in other places. Soujirou sighed and said to himself, _looks like I'll be leaving soon. _

Just then, Yuki came running out the front door and jumped into a pile of snow. Soujirou chuckled as he watched Yuki jump out of the pile of snow and run around the yard like a maniac. Yuki then ran back to the porch and said, "Come on, Soujirou-san! Come play with me!"

Soujirou shook his head and said, "I am not much fun, Yuki-chan."

Yuki didn't listen to Soujirou, but instead grabbed his hand and dragged him into the yard. She said, "Help me make a snowman, Soujirou-san!"

Soujirou smiled and helped Yuki make a snowman. Then, they had a snowball fight. Soujirou went easy on Yuki, but he shouldn't have done so. Yuki clobbered him, and he was completely covered in snow. Yuki's grandfather chuckled at the pair and said, "Looks like you underestimated my granddaughter, Seta-san."

Soujirou said, "Guess so. I won't do **that **again."

Yuki giggled and threw another snowball at Soujirou. Soujirou saw it, though, and ducked. Then, they all heard a yelp. The trio turned to see what had happened, and saw that a boy had gotten hit by the snowball. Yuki said, "Oops! Sorry."

"I bet," the boy said with venom in his voice, "You dumb Americans cause all the problems here!"

"I am not dumb," Yuki yelled out. The boy then stuck his tongue out at her. So, in a fit of anger, Yuki picked up a small chunk of ice and threw it at the boy. It hit the boy in the head. He fell down, dazed. Soujirou, who was worried about the boy, went over to check on him. There was a cut on the side of his head. When Soujirou tried to help the boy, the boy simply pushed him away and said, "I don't need the help of a friend to a filthy American!"

Then the boy stormed off. Yuki's Grandfather was scolding Yuki for hurting the boy. But, Soujirou wasn't paying attention. He was thinking about the consequences of Yuki's rash act. He said to himself, _this is not good. The village could use this against Makatari-san and Yuki-chan. I have a bad feeling about this…_

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That night, Soujirou didn't sleep easily. He was too worried about the Makatari family to sleep. After tossing and turning for several hours, Soujirou finally got up and looked around the house. When he came to the front door, he could hear something outside. He opened the door a crack, and saw that several people carrying torches and swords were coming. _I knew this would happen, _Soujirou said to himself as he ran to the bedrooms to wake everyone up, _I hope Makatari-san has a plan._

Indeed, he did have a plan. After he and Yuki were awake, he told Yuki to get dressed. Then, he said to Soujirou, "Will you take Yuki to a nearby village for me?"

Soujirou politely said, "Do you mind me asking why?"

"These men are not going to hold back this time," Makatari-san said, "I do not want them to harm Yuki. I shall hold them off while you two make your escape."

Suddenly, Soujirou felt for this man. He knew that he didn't stand a chance against an angry mob, and yet he was going to try in order to protect his granddaughter. _that is true devotion,_ Soujirou said to himself. He nodded and said, "Yes, I will take Yuki to a nearby village."

Yuki walked into the room then. Makatari-san gave Soujirou a piece of paper with an address on it. Soujirou then turned to Yuki and said, "Ready to go, Yuki-chan?"

Yuki said "We gotta go?"

"You and me," Soujirou said, "Your Grandfather is staying here."

"Okay," Yuki said reluctantly, "Just one more thing."

She walked up to her grandfather and gave him a hug. She said, "Be careful, grandpa."

"I will," Makatari-san said. Then, Yuki walked over to Soujirou and took his hand. Makatari-san said, "The address of my friend is on that paper. He will take care of Yuki for me. Just head west, and you will reach the village."

Soujirou went out the back door and hurried to the woods. It wasn't safe to take the road though town, so Soujirou guessed which direction would lead him to the path outside of town and went in that direction. It would have been easier during the day, since the sun could tell Soujirou which direction was West. But, unluckily, it was dark.

After what seemed like an eternity, Soujirou managed to find the path. He began to walk down it, Yuki following. The said girl yawned, And Soujirou was made aware of the young girl once again. Yuki said, "Sou-chan, I'm tired."

Soujirou sighed and said, "I think we can take a break for the rest of the night. It will be quite a while before the villagers come here."

So, the pair camped out for the night. The next day, they continued on their journey, hoping to reach the village very soon.


	2. chapter 2: Soujirou and the job

Author: Hey! Thanks for the reviews everyone! I'll answer some of the questions now.

Chiki: From what I remember of History class, not many people in the eastern part of the world liked the Americans, English, or French at that time. The English and the French were colonizing China, Japan, and other countries there, and the Americans were doing what they do best: throw other countries' economic structure into the dumps by exporting stuff to their country for low prices and importing while forcing them to pay a high shipping cost. And they colonized as well, but they didn't call it colonizing. They called it "helping underdeveloped countries." Something like that. I think that all changed around the time of World War 2 for some of the countries. Bah, I suck at history. If I'm thinking of the wrong time period here, please tell me. My grades in history are bad enough. 

Keiko: Don't worry, here's the next chapter. No need to hurt me. ^^ but you can hurt Shishio-san for messing up Soujirou's mind. *laughs* If I had a thousand dollars, I'd be so happy. I don't even have fifty. Maybe I should get a job…….

Crystal: ^^ thanks!

Well, on with the story! Oh, and I forgot to put the disclaimer in the first chapter, so here it is.

Disclaimer: I have an outfit that looks like Soujirou's. ^^ I made it myself. So, I guess you could say I own his clothes…..o.O;;;;; But I don't own him! (or any other Rurouni Kenshin character)

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Mid-December, 1878

Soujirou sighed. He and Yuki had been traveling for over a week, and they still hadn't found the village. This was beginning to worry him. It was getting colder by the day, and it was getting dangerous to travel. If they didn't find the village soon, they might freeze to death. And freezing to death is not a very pleasant way to go. 

Yuki said, "Sou-chan, when are we going to reach the village?"

"Soon," Soujirou said, "Very soon….."

"I Guess that we just gotta have faith, ne," Yuki said. Soujirou looked at the small girl and said, "Nani?"

Yuki suddenly became very interested in her shoes. Then, she said, "Well, Grandpa always said that you gotta have faith. If you do, then things will turn out alright."

Soujirou never had any real experience in faith. During his time with the Ju Pon Gatana, he hadn't really thought about faith or prayer. All he had to do was complete his mission, and he was set to go. And before that, well, he just got beat up a lot, so he focused more on surviving another day. So, to comfort Yuki, Soujirou said, "Makatari-san was a very wise man."

Yuki smiled and said, "He sure was! He taught me all the stuff I know! I know how to play lots of games, I know lots of wise stuff, I know how to cook a little…….."

Yuki went on and on for a while. Soujirou just smiled and listened to her. It was nice to hear something besides the wind and wild animals. That's all that he had heard while on the road up until he met Makatari-san and Yuki. Then, Soujirou saw something on the horizon. It looked like smoke. Soujirou sped up a little, trying to get up over the hill they were walking up. Yuki noticed the change in pace and said, "Sou-chan, what's wrong?"

Soujirou didn't answer. Instead, he sped up more. Now he was practically running. He reached the top, looked over, and saw……….

"The village," Yuki cried out when she reached the top, "We made it!"

Soujirou nodded and said, "Yes, we did. Now let's go find your grandfather's friend, alright?"

Yuki said, "Yeah," as she ran down the hill.

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"What do you mean he's dead?!"

"I'm sorry, little girl. Akari-san passed away several weeks ago. We would have sent word, but we didn't know that he had any family left alive."

"…………….."

"I am sorry, but you will have to leave. My master, the new owner of this house, does not like visitors. He will get angry if you are here."

Yuki looked like she was going to kick the maid, but Soujirou stopped her. He said, "Alright. We shall leave. Thank you for your time."

Soujirou then turned and walked away, Yuki not far behind. They walked for a while, not heading in any particular direction. Then, Yuki's temper got the better of her, and she stomped on Soujirou's foot. Soujirou definitely felt it, since his eyes went wide in pain for a moment and he said 'itai.' Yuki said, "Why did you just leave?!"

After Soujirou recovered, he said, "There was nothing we could have done. It would have only been a burden to that maid if we would have stayed."

"But what do we do now," Yuki yelled, tears in her eyes, "I can't go home, and I can't stay with Akari-san!"

Soujirou appeared to be calm, but in reality he was having an internal dispute. He couldn't just leave Yuki here. Nobody would take care of her. She would either end up in one of those orphanages, or she would freeze to death. But he didn't want to take her with him, either. The police were still after him, and he didn't have a steady source of income. It would be a hard life for Yuki if she went with him.

__

But not as hard of a life as it would be if I leave her here, Soujirou said, finally reaching a decision. He said, "Yuki-chan, if you want, you can come with me."

Yuki's eyes lit up. She said, "Really?! I can come with you?!"

Soujirou nodded, smiling slightly at the joy Yuki was expressing. Yuki jumped up and shouted, "Yay!"

Soujirou chuckled and said, "Well, that's settled. How would you like to get some lunch?"

Yuki said, "Sounds good!"

While they were walking to the restaurant, Yuki made an observation. "You know, it is gonna get really cold soon. I mean, there's already snow on the ground. And it's just gonna get colder. Where are we gonna stay?"

Truth be told, Soujirou hadn't even thought about that. It would be his first winter on his own, and he still didn't have any set plans. After all, he had been living day-to-day for the last six months. Soujirou said, "I am not sure yet."

Yuki smiled and said, " 'we just gotta have faith, and everything will turn out alright,' right?"

Soujirou smiled and nodded.

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The place they choose to eat was a restaurant combined with an inn. The prices didn't look too expensive, so it was a good choice for them. They sat and ate in silence. While he was eating, Soujirou was contemplating on what to do for shelter for the winter. He remembered that somebody a while ago suggested him getting a temporary job in a town to get through winter. That would have been a good idea, but Soujirou didn't know where to get a job! Soujirou also remembered what Yuki had been saying about having faith. At this point, Soujirou didn't have a better plan, so he decided to try "having faith."

Not even two minutes later, the sound of pots being thrown was heard from the kitchen. It was followed shortly by screaming and yelling. As Soujirou looked towards the entrance to the kitchen, he saw two teenage boys run out of the kitchen. They were followed shortly by a teenage girl waving a pan in her hand. The two boys looked very scared, and the girl looked angry. The two boys ran out the door and down the street. The girl called out after them, "And don't come back, you losers!"

Everyone in the dining area was now staring at the teenage girl. She noticed this, and said, "What are you all staring at me for? Eat your food and mind your own business!"

The teenage girl turned to go back into the kitchen, but Yuki said, "Miss? Are you alright?"

The girl looked to Yuki. Yuki continued, "You have some red stuff on your hand."

The girl looked to her hand and said, "Aha, it's just some sauce. Don't worry about it."

Yuki held out a napkin for the girl. The girl took the invitation, and sat down on the edge of the sitting area and cleaned off her hand. Yuki said, "What was that about?"

"I was just gettin' rid of some bums," the girl said, "Though Azuma-sama is gonna be mad at me. That's the third pair of kitchen hands this month I've gotten rid of."

The girl set the napkin down and straightened her pony tail, which was tied at the base of her neck. Soujirou made a mental note of how that hairstyle made this girl look kind of like Himura-san, only with brown hair instead of red. The girl said, "Well, if you know anybody who needs a job and isn't afraid of hard work, send them this way. I gotta get back to work now. Thanks, little girl."

Yuki waved goodbye as the girl left, but Soujirou stopped her. He said, "Wait, miss?"

The girl turned to face Soujirou. Soujirou said, "Actually, Yuko-chan and I are looking for work. We would be glad to help you."

The girl studied Yuki and Soujirou for a minute, then said, "The girl's too small. She wouldn't be able to do all her required work."

"But I could do the work she can't do for her," Soujirou said, a hint of desperation in his voice. His chance was slipping away. "Please. We really need a place to stay this winter. We will both work hard."

The girl considered it for a moment, then said, "Alright. Azuma-sama will probably go easy on me if I bring replacements, anyways. But remember: if you slack off, you are out of here."

"We won't," Soujirou and Yuki said in unison. The girl said, "Follow me, then."

She led them to the kitchen, then up a flight of narrow stairs. They went up two floors, then went down a hallway. At the end of the hallway, there was a door. When they reached the door, the girl stopped them. She said, "Don't insult Azuma-sama. Don't speak unless spoken to," then knocked on the door. A gruff voice said, "What do you want?"

"I need to speak with you," the girl said, "It's important."

"Come in," the gruff voice said, not sounding all too pleased. The girl opened the door, revealing an office. There was a file cabinet to the left, right by a window. On the right was another door. In front of them was a desk with lots of paperwork on it, and one man bent over it. The man was quite burly, and he looked like he could hold his own in a fight. Soujirou made a mental note of all of this. The man said, "Woman, who are these people?"

"I have a name you know," the girl said, "and these two are the replacements for the two slackers that Izumi unskillfully picked to be my assistants."

The man, who was presumably Azuma-sama, looked at Soujirou and Yuki. He said, "Are you sure? The girl looks kind of small. Will she be able to work?"

"I'm sure of it," the girl said, "I picked these two myself. And you know how good my judgment is. If you had listened to me the first time, we wouldn't have had all those slackers trying to work."

Azuma-sama furrowed his brow as he thought about this situation. Then he said, "Alright. But I'm warning you: if these two are trouble, then they are out on the streets, and you are back where you came from as well."

The girl stiffened a little, but maintained her outward appearance as best as possible. Then, Azuma-sama said, "Dismissed," and the girl walked out of the room. Soujirou and Yuki followed her. Once the door was closed, the girl breathed a sigh of relief. She said, "Man, I always get so tense when talkin' to that guy……."

"What's so bad about him," Yuki asked. The girl said, "Well, he owns this place. So, his word is law. He wants a full day's work from each person. No less. If you slack off, you are out of here. And that's on a good day. On a bad day….well, you don't wannah know."

Soujirou didn't like the sound of that. As they walked down the stairs, the girl said, "But, I'm not complainin'. I have a roof over my head, good food, and some extra money. It's better than being a beggar."

Once downstairs, the girl led them to a closet. She pulled out two aprons and said, "When you are working, you are to wear these. No exceptions. Off duty, you don't have to. You will get rooms later tonight. The stairs we came down are the stairs you are to use at all times. If you are a little slow at first, that's alright. You'll be learning how things work over the next couple days. But once I've explained things, you better get it done fast. I don't tolerate slackers. Now, let's hear your names."

Yuki smiled and said, "I am Makatari Yuki."

Soujirou said, "Seta Soujirou."

"Good," the girl said, "And you can call me Inoue Miyako."

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Author: that's the end of chapter two! Oh, and a note: The Inoue Miyako in this story isn't the same Inoue Miyako from season 2 of digimon. I just really like that name. Well, that's it for now! Be sure to review!

The almighty list of Japanese translations:

Nani - what?

Itai - ow or painful


	3. chapter 3: Soujirou and the laundry

Author: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I feel so loved when I see that my story has been reviewed. ^^

Arramon: She's also in a good mood when her issue of Shonen Jump arrives in the mail.

Author: True true! But I can't seem to find it………

Soujirou: *is hiding behind a couch and reading One Piece* This is pretty funny. *flips a page* Hmm, knowing Mandy, she will want to cosplay this Luffy guy. She always cosplays strange guys(1). ^^ Maybe I can cosplay as Shanks!

Author: Anyways, here are answers to the reviews:

Crystal: ^^ I am glad that you like Soujirou fics. FEEL THE LOVE PEOPLE! *jumps behind couch and tackles Soujirou*

Chiki: ha ha, I know what you mean. the same thing happened to me after economics class, and that only ended like 5 weeks ago. Philosophers are scary. *hides* *throws water balloons at the Philosophers* that'll teach 'em. Anyways, I'm glad you don't have anything against Americans. Like a famous green midget said, "Hate leads to suffering!" ^^ Yoda is fun to quote! *feels special cuz she was rooted for*

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Late December, 1878

Soujirou awoke to the sounds of Miyako-dono yelling. Again. Soujirou groaned and rolled over, wishing he could have just five more precious moments of sleep. But, of course, his wish wouldn't be granted. It never was. He and Yuki had been at the inn for a week now, and every morning Soujirou had been awoken early by something. A quick glance out the window showed that the sun was beginning to rise. _At least she waited until sunrise to start yelling, _Soujirou thought as he finally rolled out of bed and got dressed for the day, _I still have yet to understand how she can yell so loud every morning. Oh well, at least it wakes me up early enough so that I am not late for work. And She is normal again by mid-morning. I guess Miyako-dono just isn't a morning person._

After he got dressed, Soujirou went across the hall and knocked on the door. That was the room that Yuki and Miyako shared. Soujirou said, "Yuki-chan, are you ready to start another day?"

The door opened, and Yuki walked out. She smiled and said, "Yup. I am ready."

The pair walked downstairs and got their aprons. As they put them on, Miyako said, "Alright, today is laundry day. We are to do the laundry, and help with the servers at the busy hours during lunchtime. Got that?"

Yuki and Soujirou nodded. Then, they helped Miyako carry the laundry out to the yard. Miyako washed, Yuki carried the wet laundry to Soujirou, and Soujirou hung them out to dry. Their system worked very well. As they worked, Miyako told Yuki a story. Miyako had taken a shining to Yuki, and she treated the young girl like a little sister. But she was still temperamental to Soujirou, though.

The story of the day was "Rapunzel." Soujirou had never heard that one, so he listened to Miyako's story carefully. "….and Rapunzel let her hair fall out the window and down the tower wall, so that the prince would climb up and see his lovely girl," Miyako said. Yuki interrupted and said, "But Miyako-chan, wouldn't that hurt Rapunzel's head?"

Miyako thought about it for a moment, then said, "Well, I guess it would, but Rapunzel didn't show the prince that it hurt."

"Oh," Yuki said while taking a clean sheet to Soujirou, "But what did Rapunzel and the prince do when he got up in the tower?"

Miyako struggled to find an appropriate answer. She finally said, "Well….er….they played chess."

"Chess," Yuki asked. Miyako nodded and said, "Yes, chess. It was a very popular game back then. Everybody in the world played it."

Soujirou chuckled as he hung up the sheet. Yuki said, "Do you know how to play chess?"

Miyako nodded and said, "I can teach you how to play, if you wish."

Yuki said, "Yay!"

Soujirou cast a glance at Miyako. _She sure is a strange one,_ Soujirou thought, _You never know what she is going to do. One minute she is harsh, the next she is kind and sweet. It's like she is very cautious as to who she shows her true self to. And even after she gets to know a person, she is still cautious around them._

Miyako was now washing another sheet, while Yuki was carrying another sheet to place in the basket at Soujirou's feet. Soujirou frowned slightly as he thought, _She must have had a rough life growing up, to behave like that. Or, she might have been betrayed by someone she trusted. Either way, it must have been somewhat disdainful._

Miyako finished washing the last sheet and handed it to Soujirou. She said, "Whew! Glad that's done! Now," Miyako pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket and looked at it, "Soujirou, You and Yuki have to go get some food items."

"Doesn't the food normally get shipped here," Soujirou asked as he hung up the sheet. Miyako said, "Yes, but that's only the stuff we order regularly. Izumi needs some special stuff for a new recipe he's trying tonight."

Soujirou pinned up the sheet and turned to face Miyako. She handed him a list and a small amount of money. "Make this last," she said, "There's a lot of stuff on the list, and Azuma-sama didn't give Izumi a lot of money to work with."

"I will make it last," Soujirou said. After all, he was pretty good at stretching money. For the six months before he met Yuki, he had lived on a small amount of money that he had gotten before he left the Ju Pon Gatana. Soujirou sighed at the memory of his friends, who had long since gotten new jobs……or died…..

"Hello! Soujirou!"

Soujirou left his world of memories and returned to the present. He said, "Sorry, Miyako-dono."

"Get going," Miyako said in a slightly rough-edged yet amused voice, "We don't have all day. I'll be inside waiting on tables of you need me."

Miyako went inside the inn, and Soujirou and Yuki walked off to find the items on the list.

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The market turned out to be interesting. Soujirou hadn't had much time to look at it before he and Yuki had gotten their job at the inn, and they hadn't been allowed out during working hours either. Stuff from all over the world seemed to be here. There were spices from Morocco, fancy glass works from France, and even some wooden toys from who-knows-where. Soujirou glanced at the list again. "Okay, we need a pineapple….whatever that is, some cherries, and some white flour. Hmm, wouldn't they have white flower at the inn?"

"They use wheat flour at the inn. Izuma-chan told me," Yuki said. She was looking at some dolls currently. She giggled and pointed at one. She said, "Look, Sou-chan! That one looks like you!"

Sure enough, the doll did look like him. It had dark brown hair that went to the base of it's neck and dark blue buttons for eyes. It even had a blue hakama and kimono Just like Soujirou! The only difference is that the doll had a small sword at it's side, and Soujirou didn't. Soujirou said, "You're right, Yuki-chan. It does look like me."

"Can we get it," Yuki asked. Soujirou shook his head and said, "The only money we have is for the food we are supposed to get for the inn."

Yuki put on a pouty face. Soujirou sighed and took Yuki away from the stand. Out of sight, out of mind. Soujirou was looking around at a fruit stand when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something that made his heart skip. A couple of police swordsman were walking down the street, idly chattering away. They hadn't noticed Soujirou yet, but they were bound to soon. _Damn, _Soujirou thought, _How could they have caught up to me already?_

Soujirou grabbed Yuki's hand and dragged her towards an alley. Yuki looked up into Soujirou's worried face and said, "What's wrong, Sou-chan?"

"I just remembered something important," Soujirou said as he ducked into an alley. He made sure that Yuki and himself were out of sight. Then he held a finger up to his lips, which indicated to Yuki that she should be quiet. Soujirou then waited, hoping that the police swordsmen would pass quickly. 

As luck would have it, they didn't pass quickly. They stopped at the mouth of the alley. The first one said, "Well, that's enough looking around. Now it's time to get to work."

A second said, "Yeah. We have to find that guy. Er, what was his name again?"

"Tenken no Soujirou," The first said as he took out a sheet of paper. Soujirou could see that his picture was on it. The first guy continued, "After that one anti-Meji guy died, the Tenken took off. We had reports that he was in this village a week ago."

"A whole week," the third said, "He could have left by now!"

"Well, we have to search the city first," the first guy said, "If we don't find him, then we will move on."

"I'm hungry," the second guy said, "Let's get some lunch first."

"Alright," the first said. The three guys walked off then, off to find a restaurant. Soujirou breathed a sigh of relief and walked cautiously out of the alley. _I am glad that the inn is on the outskirts of town,_ Soujirou thought, _They are less likely to find me there._

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Author: End Chapter three! I know it's shorter than a usual chapter of mine, but I have a great idea for this story that I don't want to start until the next chapter. So, you have to wait until I write a new chapter! ^^ That's the way things go sometimes. Well, bye for now!

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1: It's true! I have co splayed Duo, Soujirou, and Sakura. Ok, Sakura's not a guy, but she is kinda strange. And Soujirou is so strange that you have to love him! ^^


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